Managing stress at work is increasingly difficult for us in these tough times. Squeezed budgets, looming redundancies, economic downturn and general doom and gloom doesn't always make for a happy, productive workforce. With more people doing more work with less staff, employees feel under more and more pressure to perform well. If you're stressed, or this is causing stress, you need to recognise and alleviate certain "stress traps" that will only make the problem worse. Here's eight of the worst culprits that contribute to stress in the workplace:

Punctuality, of lack of

There's nothing quite like that gut-wrenching feeling when you know you're going to be late. Traffic jams, missed buses, delayed trains are not your fault, but giving yourself more time in the morning, (or are you always in a rush?) will help you to suffer less when you're running behind. If this is pure disorganisation on your part, (too many snooze button presses?) then you're habitually increasing your stress level by constantly watching the clock and trying to beat it. When you're late, you're under pressure to do more in less time as you play catch-up all day. Give yourself the morning time, and relax in the evening instead!

Bringing home to work

We're at work most of the day, but what happens at home can greatly affect our stress levels. If you have an unpleasant home life, bringing your problems to work can be a disaster - because you can't always solve them there. The worst thing is that your home-stress becomes a distraction from work and causes under-performance. If you have friends to confide in, that's great, but there's only so much of the working day you can dedicate to that. If you overwork (and stress yourself out) and do not want to go home in the evening, it's becoming a problem. Incidentally, many employers have an employee helpline, unconnected to HR or official channels where you can get counselling or advice on home matters and your colleagues don't have to know.

Lack of variety and distribution of tasks

This stress-factor depends largely on your preferred working method. Someone who finds repetitive work meditative and calm would not survive in a fast paced changing environment, just as a wild creative will not sit still for more than ten minutes. Most of us are somewhere in between and if you're doing the same things day in, day out, you're going to get stressed and demotivated. Alter your routine, volunteer for some more tasks, and keep learning - these will all contribute to your sense of well being and happiness at work.

Time management

This one ties in closely with punctuality. If you manage your time badly, you're forever in a losing battle against time. Most of us don't realise that it's not more time that would be better, it's learning not to waste it. Many employers recognise this and will probably happy provide time management training or courses - some make them mandatory. All of us can benefit from being more productive, so why not sign up?

Bad moods

If you have one whining, sulky, demotivated colleague, they're going to drag you down. It sounds silly, but try surround yourself with positive and inspiring forces, rather than being tempted to sit and have a good moan all day. By all means, do it to vent every now and again, but if you're constantly in a negative frame of mind, you'll start to affect other people, too. Also - try not to leave the office until a problem or argument is sorted out, (a bit like not sleeping on an argument at home). It will only fester until the next day and make it all worse. Keep everyone and yourself - as happy as you can.

Failing to delegate

Delegation is not just for managers and if you're swamped, then you need to delegate. There are courses on the art of delegation, and also, you can get to know people in the office better, (and their roles!) if you help them out from time to time. Don't forget this will also de-stress you n the end, as quid pro quo - they will more than likely help YOU out with your work when you need it and isn't that a great option to have?

Not looking after yourself

A healthy mind and body makes for less stress and more happiness. It sounds obvious, but anything from lack of sleep, to alcohol or a bad diet can make you feel sluggish and unhappy. A tired or unwell person is more apt to be stressed, because their body just can't deal with everything being thrown at it. Look after yourself and your mental well-being will follow.

Wrong job?

If you're still feeling woefully stressed or unhappy, despite trying to avoid the worst traps and doing everything you can, perhaps it's time to look at your career as a whole. Maybe you're in the wrong job and no amount of change within it will make you happy. It's a huge leap to change career, but sometimes it's the best thing someone could ever do. Take the plunge - you, and your happiness, must come first!